As a result, China has said that it will take it upon themselves to support and patch the aging OS, and has also announced a ban on using Windows 8 on its computers. According to the local Xinhua news agency, the ban was to ensure computer security after Microsoft ended support for Windows XP.

Microsoft in response said: "We were surprised to learn about the reference to Windows 8 in this notice. Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement requirements."

This is a blow to Microsoft as sales and adoption of Windows 8 have been sluggish thus far, and China is one the biggest markets for PCs. On the other hand, China is looking to wean itself off American hardware and is said to be concerned about NSA's activities and their involvement with tech companies.